Hemodialysis is a medical procedure performed to treat patients suffering from renal failure, kidney problems or other related conditions in which the kidneys are unable to adequately remove impurities and waste products from the patient's blood. In the hemodialysis process, a dialysis system or dialysis machine removes blood from the patient's body and directs it through a filtration device referred to as a dialyzer that filters the cleaned blood for return to the patient. The filtration process is performed by directing a liquid solution, often referred to as a dialysate, through the dialyzer, and which is separated from the blood therein by a membrane so that waste products are drawn or diffuse into the dialysate. To facilitate treatment of different patients with different conditions, the composition of the dialysate may be adjusted or regulated by the dialysis machine during the dialysis process, for example, by introducing different additives to the solution to adjust its characteristics.
To facilitate the preparation and adjustment of the dialysate solution, various sensors and controls are incorporated into the dialysis machine to monitor the preparation process and the composition of the dialysate solution. Using these sensors and controls, the dialysis machine can be designed to automatically make adjustments during the dialysis treatment, or a health care technician monitoring the sensors and controls can make the necessary adjustments. The sensors and controls may therefore play a significant role during the dialysis treatment. However, because the dialysis process necessarily involves human biological substances, the sensors and controls must be incorporated into the dialysis machine in a manner to isolate them or to enable their cleansing and/or sterilization. The present disclosure is directed to supplementing and improving the operation and functionality of the sensors and controls associated with a dialysis machine or similar medical device.